Driver in Fatal Berkeley Crash Remains Hospitalized

The Berkeley man police say is responsible for a high-speed, alcohol-involved crash into a tree that killed two people in May remains hospitalized.

Jose Lumbreras, 24, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries after the May 18 crash at Allston Way and California Street in Berkeley. Police say Lumbreras was driving northbound on California at 64 mph when he . 

The crash killed mom Milanca Lopez, 22, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Lopez had just days earlier. 

Lopez's 6-year-old son, Xavier Chevez, was . 

According to the Berkeley Police Department, Lumbreras remains hospitalized and in the custody of the Alameda County sheriff's deputies, though he has not yet been booked pending release from the hospital.

The Alameda County district attorney's office charged Lumbreras on May 22 .

Police said the district attorney's office would review charges against Lumbreras in the wake of Xavier Chevez's death. 

The district attorney's office has not yet responded to a request for any updates in the charges against Lumbreras, whose preliminary blood alcohol concentration was reported by authorities as .219 percent.

Lumbreras was listed as a current doctoral student in UC Berkeley's Department of Ethnic Studies on the department's website.

He majored in sociology at UC Santa Barbara, and graduated in June 2010. 

According to a biography of Lumbreras posted on the UC Santa Barbara website, the 24-year-old grew up in Compton, "where a lack of afterschool programs created an atmosphere of aimlessness for many youth. Despite the social, economical, and political disadvantages, a sense of community developed and contributed to Jose’s ability to discover a path that led to success in high school and, ultimately, college."

Lumbreras entered college as a business and economics major, but a trip to a local jail in his freshman year inspired him to change majors, and focus on urban ethnography, juvenile justice, community studies and Latina/o sociology, according to the biography.

He worked with his advisor on a paper about "how youth understand their situations and what the reservoirs of knowledge are that they use to make choices when they are faced with segregation, repression, and racism."

According to the write-up, Lumbreras hoped to teach at the collegiate level after completing his studies.

Donations to the Milanca Lopez fund can be sent to www.gofundme.com/milancalopez.

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